Rapid Fire August 30, 2012: Pressure, But Not Too Much

Rear Adm. Yin Zhuo from the Chinese Navy is convinced that talks of increased US missile defense in Asia are meant to trick his country, as well as India, into diverting funds from conventional weapons into budget-draining ballistic weapons that would not be used in a conventional war.

In the meantime China does not seem to lack cash, with a surge of acquisitions in Western countries in sectors such as energy that bring up national security concerns [PDF].

France’s diplomatic pressure on Russia over its support of the Syrian regime falls short of putting their Mistral deal in the balance. Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius said [in French] that France would block any further deliveries if Russia were to breach contract clauses forbidding re-exportation to third parties, though that does not have much to do with the matter at hand.

India’s Army wants to buy 20 mini-UAVs for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance, while China’s State Oceanic Administration will launch UAVs to monitor the weather on its coasts.

Togo’s Air Force acquired a CASA CN235M-10 transport aircraft from Botswana [PDF backgrounder on their Airforce] which replaced it recently with one of two newer CN235M-300s. General Philip Breedlove, commander of the US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, recommends that African nations pool their air force assets.

Rheinmetall plans to cut more than 500 jobs in Germany, according to a trade union representative interviewed by Reuters.